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No, seriously! Every time that any standard is submitted to ANSI for approval or revision, it is first put into public review. That’s right, I said public. PLASA (formerly ESTA) is who puts forth our entertainment standards. At this very moment, there are 11 Entertainment Technology standards up for public review.

BSR E1.21 – 201x, Entertainment Technology — Temporary Ground-Supported Structures Used to Cover the Stage Areas and Support Equipment in the Production of Outdoor Entertainment Events

BSR E1.18-1 – 201x, Standard for the selection, installation, and use of single-conductor portable power feeder cable systems for use at 600 volts nominal or less for the distribution of electrical energy in the entertainment and live-event industries

All of the preceding, except for ANSI E1.26 – 2006, is in public review until October 18, 2011. ANSI E1.26 – 2006 is in public review until August 30, 2011.

From PLASA about the documents, review and voting process:

The draft documents are produced by members of the working groups in the Technical Standards Program. Membership in the working groups is open to all who are affected by the work of the group; membership in PLASA or any other association is not a requirement. Voting members are required to attend meetings, but observer members are not, although they are welcome to attend and to speak on issues if they choose. More information about working groups and an application to join are available under the working groups link.

I’m not certain how untimely the first item on the list, BSR E1.21 – 201x, looks with all of the staging incidents that have occurred this summer, but certainly now is the time for those involved, and even those not directly, to make a stronger standard. Just remember, they aren’t looking for rants – as valid as they may be.

At LDI this year, I heard a lot of talk about IP ratings and IP code, with such numbers being thrown around as “IP 65″ and “oh, that fixture’s awesome, it’s got an IP 68 rating.”

Do you know what that means? Do you know how to interpret IP Code?

A fixture’s IP (International Protection) rating has to do with how well it is protected against the elements and people sticking stuff inside of it, to be frank. IP ratings cover two scenarios – “it classifies the degrees of protection provided against the intrusion of solid objects (including body parts like hands and fingers), dust, accidental contact, and water in electrical enclosures,” to quote Wikipedia’s entry on IP ratings.

So – the rating system is based off of two numbers and their meaning – the first against things stuck in the enclosure, and the second against water entering the enclosure. This is basically a more efficient and detailed method of saying something is “waterproof,” as many things do. There are many levels of “waterproof,” as we all probably know.

The rating system: FIRST NUMBER

0
No protection against contact and ingress of objects

1>50 mm
Any large surface of the body, such as the back of a hand, but no protection against deliberate contact with a body part

2>12.5 mm
Fingers or similar objects

3>2.5 mm
Tools, thick wires, etc.

4>1 mm
Most wires, screws, etc.

5dust protected
Ingress of dust is not entirely prevented, but it must not enter in sufficient quantity to interfere with the satisfactory operation of the equipment; complete protection against contact

2dripping water when tilted up to 15°Vertically dripping water shall have no harmful effect when the enclosure is tilted at an angle up to 15° from its normal position.

3spraying waterWater falling as a spray at any angle up to 60° from the vertical shall have no harmful effect.

4splashing waterWater splashing against the enclosure from any direction shall have no harmful effect.

5water jetsWater projected by a nozzle against enclosure from any direction shall have no harmful effects.

6powerful water jetsWater projected in powerful jets against the enclosure from any direction shall have no harmful effects.

7immersion up to 1 mIngress of water in harmful quantity shall not be possible when the enclosure is immersed in water under defined conditions of pressure and time (up to 1 m of submersion).

8immersion beyond 1 mThe equipment is suitable for continuous immersion in water under conditions which shall be specified by the manufacturer.

NOTE: Normally, this will mean that the equipment is hermetically sealed. However, with certain types of equipment, it can mean that water can enter but only in such a manner that produces no harmful effects.

If you have a “X” in your IP rating, it means that device has no rating for that number. For example, you might see IP2X on some of the indoor electrical items you have in your house, such as wall outlets. That means it is protected against fingers going into the socket, and not rated for water.

Now you know how to read IP ratings. How does it feel to be “in the know?”

Did You Know?

LED lights can have a lifetime of 50,000 hours or more in continuous operation. Depending on how many hours-a-day they are operating, that can be anywhere from 6 to 7 years to as many as 20 to 30 years.